{"disclaimer":"This is a summary of public court records and is not legal advice. Missouri slip opinions may be modified or withdrawn; consult the official source.","party":{"slug":"honorable-joseph-rathert-circuit-judge","displayName":"Honorable Joseph Rathert, Circuit Judge","totalCases":1},"cases":[{"caseId":"moappd:ed113612:2025-09-16","opinionId":"bc325d40-eaca-544c-afbc-6efb019b2a2a","slug":"state-of-missouri-ex-rel-michael-joe-butler-relator-v-honorable-joseph-ra-113612","caseName":"State of Missouri, ex rel. Michael Joe Butler, Relator, v. Honorable Joseph Rathert, Circuit Judge, Respondent.","caseNumber":"ED113612","court":"moappd","courtLabel":"Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District","decisionDate":"2025-09-16","year":2025,"display_summary":"Relator Michael Butler filed a petition for a writ of prohibition seeking to prevent the Honorable Joseph Rathert from revoking his probation. The circuit court found Butler in violation of probation based on a Notice of Citation and a probation officer's testimony, despite the underlying criminal charge being dismissed and a lack of first-hand evidence or prior disclosure. The appellate court made its preliminary order of prohibition permanent, concluding that the circuit court abused its discretion by denying Butler his rights to due process and confrontation during the probation revocation hearing.","primaryTopic":"criminal-procedure","topicSlugs":["criminal-procedure","appellate-procedure","standard-of-review","evidence"],"outcomeNorm":"dismissed","officialSourceUrl":"https://www.courts.mo.gov/file.jsp?id=224920","detailUrl":"https://ott.law/missouri-courts/opinions/state-of-missouri-ex-rel-michael-joe-butler-relator-v-honorable-joseph-ra-113612","relatedPracticeAreas":[{"slug":"criminal-law","label":"Criminal Law","href":"/practice-areas/criminal-law","score":40,"source":"tag","url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/criminal-law"},{"slug":"litigation","label":"Civil Litigation","href":"/practice-areas/litigation","score":12,"source":"topic","url":"https://ott.law/practice-areas/litigation"}],"role":"respondent"}]}